Dora and Diego at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

The new, hands-on exhibit Dora and Diego—Let’s Explore! opens Saturday, September 22, at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. Join the adventure into the Nickelodeon characters’ imaginative world to take part in a variety of activities to learn about nature and become problem solvers. The exhibit will also incorporate Spanish vocabulary throughout the journey, introducing the language to preschool children.

Flutter into Fall celebration

In addition to the exhibit opening, the museum invites families to join us in celebrating butterflies and insects with Flutter into Fall – a day-long celebration of all things butterfly!

Dora and Diego-Let’s Explore! exhibit

Get ready to explore with some of your favorite TV adventurers at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in the new exhibit Dora and Diego—Let’s Explore!, opening Saturday, September 22. This hands-on exhibit invites children and their families to play along with Dora and Diego from Nickelodeon’s hit preschool series, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, along with their friends Boots, Map, Backpack, Isa, Tico, and of course Swiper.

The interactive exhibit follows the adventures of 7-year-old Dora and her friends in an imaginative, tropical world and Dora’s 8-year-old cousin Diego, a bilingual animal rescuer who protects animals and their environment. Children and their families can explore these vivid, animated worlds, playing along in an adventure to learn how to solve problems, be a good friend and care for animals and nature.

“Each day, the Nature Museum works to encourage exploration and attention to the great outdoors through our education programs, conservation efforts and exhibits. This exhibit positions Dora and Diego as great role models for these traits, and may even inspire our next generation of scientists and nature explorers.”

Deborah Lahey, President and CEO of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Spanish vocabulary is also incorporated throughout the exhibit to introduce Spanish-speaking skills to preschool children.

Some favorite friends and places from episodes of Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! are incorporated in the exhibit including:

The Purple Planet – An out-of-this-world home invites visitors to climb inside and slide down on the surface of the Purple Planet.

Rocket Ship – Dora’s outer-space friends want to go back to the Purple Planet. To help, visitors can board the Rocket Ship, put on a spacesuit and pilot the ship, testing their memory with images of colorful planets.

Tico’s Tree and Car – Tico needs help picking nuts from the tree for a family picnic. Play along with Swiper to swipe the nuts and watch as they fill Tico’s basket. Then help Tico fill his car with nuts so he can begin his journey.

Pirate Ship – Join the Pirate Piggies crew and dress like a pirate to sail the ship. Visitors can raise and lower the Pirate Piggies’ flag, look through the telescopes to spot treasure and then divvy up the coins into the Pirate Piggies’ banks.

Animal Rescue Center – Be an animal rescuer like Diego and help diagnose and address an animal’s problem from the ‘Scanner’ bed. Bandage and apply cold packs at the ‘First-Aid Station,’ and bathe stuffed animals at the ‘Care Station.’

Rainforest Maze – Locate rainforest animals while swinging across the Bobo Brothers’ monkey bars, crawling through a fallen tree, climbing across Jaguar Mountain, and jumping the River Rocks.

Dora and Diego – Let’s Explore! was created by the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in partnership with Nickelodeon.

More exploration at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

And this fall, exploration doesn’t end with Dora and Diego. From September 22 through January 17, the Nature Museum’s live animal exhibit, the Animal House will be home to seven species that have become so rare within Illinois that many may never get the chance to see them in the wild. Find out how these endangered animals became Nature Museum residents and how scientists are working to protect and raise awareness about them.

The species featured in the Animal House include:

Alligator snapping turtle (endangered)

Blanding’s turtle (endangered)

Ornate box turtle (threatened)

Hognose snake (threatened)

Spotted turtle (endangered)

Massasauga snake (endangered)

Mudpuppy (threatened)

Additionally, discover how students of all ages are exploring the urban nature found all around us in Chicago at the Marquee Gallery exhibit: Chicago’s Youth Explorers.